Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sihanoukville and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Sihanoukville: $928 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Sihanoukville
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Sihanoukville Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Sihanoukville

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$928

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sihanoukville and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Sihanoukville and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $928 in Sihanoukville versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Sihanoukville $928
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Sihanoukville versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Sihanoukville $1,395
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,862 in Sihanoukville versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Sihanoukville $1,862
Phuket $2,867

Living in Sihanoukville costs roughly 23% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sihanoukville 31% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.94 ៛16.0K

$4.58 ฿153

-13.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.25 ៛122.9K

$32.48 ฿1,086

-6.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.19 ៛29.2K

$8.55 ฿286

-15.91%

Cappuccino

$2.30 ៛9,356

$2.72 ฿91.0

-15.44%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 ៛3,175

$0.94 ฿31.25

-17.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 ៛1,706

$0.49 ฿16.39

-14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 ៛4,136

$2.59 ฿86.6

-60.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ៛8,219

$3.83 ฿128

-47.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ៛8,566

$1.74 ฿58.1

21.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 ៛6,471

$1.43 ฿47.82

11.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 ៛3,518

$1.53 ฿51.0

-43.14%

Eggs

$1.71 ៛6,941

$2.17 ฿72.7

-21.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.87 ៛56.3K

$19.15 ฿640

-27.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.10 ៛16.6K

$3.30 ฿110

24.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.78 ៛35.7K

$11.14 ฿372

-21.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.59 ៛14.6K

$2.95 ฿98.5

21.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 ៛5,598

$1.68 ฿56.1

-17.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.25 ៛17.3K

$2.30 ฿76.8

84.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ៛6,549

$2.13 ฿71.3

-24.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.35 ៛5,472

$1.53 ฿51.1

-11.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ៛4,653

$1.36 ฿45.55

-15.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ៛4,823

$1.12 ฿37.44

6.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 ៛2,950

$0.55 ฿18.24

32.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.46 ៛5,946

$4.26 ฿142

-65.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.16 ៛45.3K

$18.19 ฿608

-38.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ៛3,674

$1.74 ฿58.2

-48.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ៛6,722

$2.79 ฿93.3

-40.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 ៛4,434

$2.91 ฿97.3

-62.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ៛4,182

$1.01 ฿33.79

1.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.19 ៛21.1K

$3.83 ฿128

35.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ៛5,060

$1.49 ฿49.85

-16.11%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$34.3K ៛139.4M

$26.7K ฿891.6K

28.64%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$43.5K ៛176.7M

$26.7K ฿892.7K

62.86%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$106 ៛431.6K

$99.4 ฿3,321

6.93%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$6.46 ៛26.2K

$11.28 ฿377

-42.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.99 ៛77.1K

$17.36 ฿580

9.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.2 ៛293.1K

$52.3 ฿1,747

38.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.11 ៛41.1K

$10.85 ฿362

-6.82%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 ៛20.7K

$7.57 ฿253

-32.76%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$339 ៛1.4M

$558 ฿18.7K

-39.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,096 ៛20.7M

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-55.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.55 ៛116.0K

$62.9 ฿2,102

-54.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.14 ៛81.8K

$28.58 ฿955

-29.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.5 ៛363.7K

$96.1 ฿3,213

-6.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$20.29 ៛82.4K

$88.1 ฿2,943

-76.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$407 ៛1.7M

$729 ฿24.4K

-44.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$304 ៛1.2M

$460 ฿15.4K

-33.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$643 ៛2.6M

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-69.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$492 ៛2.0M

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-59.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.07

5.57

44.88%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Sihanoukville: October 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Sihanoukville

$304 32.8%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 51.1% $156

Groceries & Markets

Sihanoukville

$237 25.6%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 12.9% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sihanoukville

$132 14.2%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 2.8% $3.7

Eating Out

Sihanoukville

$95 10.2%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 28.2% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Sihanoukville

$82 8.9%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 18.1% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Sihanoukville

$71 7.7%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 73.9% $53

Getting Around

Sihanoukville

$6.2 * 0.7%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 523% $33

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $407 in Sihanoukville and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30.00 in Sihanoukville vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $268 per month, with Sihanoukville cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇭 Sihanoukville

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

16:33 4:33 PM

Same time as Sihanoukville

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

73,036

79,308

💱 Currency

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KHR = 2.46 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.19 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to KHR – Cambodian Riel Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇭 Cambodian Riel (៛)

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4,062 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.46 USD). 1 EUR = 4,567 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.19 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to KHR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sihanoukville Phuket 640 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sihanoukville
Phuket

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Sihanoukville vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sihanoukville is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 30% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,392 in Sihanoukville and $1,811 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $407 in Sihanoukville versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $339 in Sihanoukville versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sihanoukville – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $928 in Sihanoukville versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sihanoukville but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Sihanoukville the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sihanoukville is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Sihanoukville and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Sihanoukville gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.